Exciting news ran throughout Lawrence last Friday as elected officials, collaborators, staff and media attended the much anticipated ribbon cutting ceremony for Northern Essex Community College’s El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center on Common Street in Lawrence.

Named after El-Hefni, an Egyptian immigrant and supporter of the college, the facility is designed to train and educate students in 18 different healthcare associate degrees offered at the college.

The new 44,000 square building sits on the former site of the “InTown Mall”, and features a Health Education Simulation Center that includes a hospital intensive care unit, a trauma room, an acute care hospital room, an apartment, a doctor’s office, and even an ambulance which is embedded in the building, thanks to a donation from Trinity EMS.

Classes started in January, as students began their formal training for future EMT careers and other healthcare professions by learning the practical aspects and use of life saving techniques in an emergency situation.

The new center also includes a Career Planning and Advising Center, where students receive academic and career counseling and can apply for admission, financial aid or receive counseling.